Thursday, August 13, 2015

Our bodies

Every day I see hundreds of pilgrims. They either pass me, or in the rare instance or two I will pass them by.

Usually I exchange one of the following greetings: ola!, buenos dias, que tal, buen Camino. And, usually, unless they have ear plugs on, it is reciprocated.

I also look at how their bodies are responding to the rigors of the El Camino de Santiago pilgrimage.

What I'm seeing is a growing number of noticeable limps. Each limp is different.

The limp may come from sore muscles. Or, from blisters. Or knee problems. Or calf issues. Or something else.

The first thing to hit me about this is that our bodies can only take so much.

The second thing that hits me is that most continue to walk the El Camino even with their limp.

Sure some do quit. Some take break days to try to recover. My guess is that most don't. Most continue on the trek even though their body is hurting.

So far I have been lucky. Let's keep our fingers crossed. I have soreness -- in the knees, a little bit in the calf, definitely in the feet, and clearly on my bottom. But, as far as I know, I am not limping yet.

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When we started, we did not know - exactly - why we were doing itWe had lives which were - more or less - satisfactoryWe had friends known much of our livesWe had children - changed from chrysalis to butterfliesWe had things: things like machines things like music things like pictures things like shelves full of books things like money and pensions and securityWe did not have one thing - and maybe that was why we started

When we started, we put one foot in front of the otherWe still did not know - precisely - why we were doing itThe miles passed - many of them pleasantlyOur feet blistered and were slow to healOur ankles turned on loose stonesThe rain beat its way through our clothesThe cold chilled the marrow of our bonesSome nights, refuge was hard to findSome days, miles of hot dust had no fountains

When the first few of many long days had passedWe found - without words - that we no longer walked togetherThat together we spoke in our own tongues - and often of things we had left behind where we beganThat together we shut out new experience with the wall of our togethernessThat alone we spoke in other tongues and of our common experienceThat alone we were open - open with interest and curiosity.Often we met - with gladness - at the end of the dayTo know our paths went on together was enough

When we got to the cathedral we sat downWe saw - through the eyes of those long before usThe blinding faith, the crucial thirst for salvationThe tower slowly closing off the skyAnd we counted our blessings - several hundred of themStarting with the kindness of ordinary people on the wayAnd with the warmth of other travellers on the roadTravellers not at all like us - not in age, not in origin, not in interestsBut warm across all these distancingsAnd ending with the friendship and loveWe had left behind where we began.

When we got to the sea at the end of the worldWe sat down on the beach at sunsetWe knew why we had done itTo know our lives less important than just one grain of sandTo know that we did not need the things we had left behind usTo know the we would nevertheless return to themTo know that we needed to be where we belongedTo know that kindness and friendship and love is all one needsTo know that we did not - after all - have to make this long journey to find this outTo know that - for us - it certainly helped